Life

The joy of summer rest

Many people look to summer for a time of rest and renewal. I enjoy many aspects of the Peace Country summers. I love the long daylight hours, the warmer temperatures, the beauty of the trees, the yellow blooms of canola and the green wheat fields. I enjoy community events, the rodeos and picnics.

What I look forward to most however is summer rest. Vacation time with family is a highlight of our year. It's a great time to "recharge our batteries" for the busy fall and winter seasons ahead.

God knows the importance of rest. He designed us to rest. Experts estimate that we spend up to one third of our life sleeping. We all know that we function much better after a good night's sleep. We are designed for rest. God himself modelled rest. After creating the world in six days he rested on the seventh. He also commanded people to rest. Knowing our need to rest he directed people to work six days and rest for one. In our culture we often over work and under rest but that was not God's design. He never intended us to live in perpetual tiredness.

Further than instructing us to rest, God invites us into a rest that he himself provides. In Mathew 11:28-30 a wonderful invitation is given by the Lord Jesus. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (NIV).

The rest Jesus is referring to is not physical rest but a "soul rest". He is speaking of finding relief from the inner weariness and burdens that are often our experience. There is no doubt that once our soul finds rest it is much easier for our body to rest as well, but the primary rest Jesus refers to is that of our souls.

I find this a beautiful invitation for a few reasons. First, it is all inclusive. All who are weary and burdened are invited to come to him. He does not discriminate on the basis of wealth, gender or race; everyone has an invitation to the soul rest he provides.

Second, his invitation is caring. e invites all who are weary and burdened. He understands that this is a common human condition and he is willing and able to help. The weariness he is referring to is a deep fatigue from hard labour, from taking a beating, or the exhaustion of grief.

Burdens speak of heavy cargo, a word Jesus used figuratively for the religious rules that had become so burdensome in their society. Jesus is offering people an opportunity to drop the cargo of man-made religion and step into a personal friendship with the living God. His invitation is not a three-point plan or a schedule of rules but a relationship with a loving person, the person of God himself. It is in a relationship with Jesus that we find rest for our souls.

The question is how do we come to Jesus to find this rest? The answer is really quite simple. We come to Christ with simple prayer asking him to help us with our tired soul and then placing ourselves under his care and leadership. This is the meaning of "take my yoke upon you and learn from me."

Check out grandeprairiechurch.com for more information about local churches and upcoming events